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Primary sourceArtifact1469-1504

Spanish Half Real of Ferdinand and Isabella

1469-1504

A silver half real coin bearing the arms of Ferdinand and Isabella, found in England, showing their joint coinage and its wide circulation.

This coin bears Isabella's personal emblem of arrows, representing her joint rule with Ferdinand and the reach of their currency.

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Two photographs of a small, worn, grey metal coin, obverse on the left and reverse on the right, with a centimetre scale bar on the right showing 0 to 2 cm. The coin is roughly 2 cm across.
Silver half real of Ferdinand and Isabella, 1469-1504. Recorded by Birmingham Museums Trust, 2010.

About this source

What it is

This small, worn silver coin is a half real struck during the joint reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile (1469-1504). It shows a yoke, the arms of Ferdinand, on one side, and a bunch of arrows, the arms of Isabella, on the other. It was found in England and recorded by Birmingham Museums Trust in 2010.

Why it matters

The coin's design reflects the joint rule of Ferdinand and Isabella, with each monarch's personal emblem represented separately on the same piece of money. That this coin travelled all the way to England shows how far Castilian and Aragonese currency circulated in trade and exchange across Europe during their reign.

Look closer

  • Why might the coin show two separate symbols instead of one combined design?
  • What does finding a Spanish coin in England tell you about trade or travel in this period?
  • What can a small, worn coin like this tell historians that a painting or document cannot?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Queen Isabella I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Scan of a handwritten Spanish manuscript page in old script, with signatures below the text, a wax seal impression on a diamond-shaped paper flap at lower right, and additional scribbled signatures at lower left.Document

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Alhambra Decree

Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon · 31 March 1492

Open bound register showing two manuscript pages of handwritten Spanish legal text in brown ink on aged parchment, with a signature and date line near the top right of the right page. Dark background surrounds the book.Document

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Capitulations of Santa Fe

Catholic Monarchs · 17 April 1492

Photograph of a handwritten manuscript page in brown and black ink in Gothic-style script, with decorated illuminated capital letters at the top and middle. Blue circular library stamps reading Lisboa and Biblioteca Nacional appear at the top and bottom, along with a handwritten shelfmark and signatures at the bottom.Document

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Treaty of Tordesillas

7 June 1494

Document

Primary source

Testament of Isabella I of Castile

Isabella I of Castile · 12 October 1504

Painted portrait of a woman against a dark background, shown from the shoulders up. She wears a white veil covering her head, a white embroidered blouse with black patterned stripes, and a dark gown. A gold cross pendant hangs from a pearl-edged ornament at her chest. Her blue eyes look directly forward.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Isabella the Catholic

Juan de Flandes · c. 1500

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